Retort



June 9, 1925.

B. H. SMITH RETORT.

Filed Nov. 26 1921 l NV EN TOR.

(K. W' ATTORNEY.

MW EN Patented 9, 19:25.

Application tiled November 26, 1921, Serial No. 517,947.

To all'whom it may concern:

Be it known that BENAMINH. SMITH,

a citizen of the United States,vresiding at.

LosAngeles, county ofA Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful:

Improvements in Retortsiffwhich the following is a specification. v

' This invention is -a retort' 'particularly adapted for distillation of oil sand and shale,

` or the treatment of antimony and cinnabar ore and the like. l

lt is the object of the invention to provide a construction having a heating surface for a layer of material which is to be treated,

said surface having portions thereof ,n'ormally projecting through and above the layer of material, and 'arranged so as to maintain relatively thin layers of material `in the supporting depressionstormed between said projections, in order to obtain uniform heating of said layers of material, by subjecting all portions thereof to direct heat radiations from either the supporting or projecting portions ofthe heating member, thereby preventing insulation of the upper portion of the layersof material from the heating surface, as would result. from completely covering the latter with sald material.

packingand piling up of said material in any one of the supporting depressions formed between said projections, said heating surface being so constructed however, that any excess of material thus moving 40,l across a projection of the heating surface from lone supporting depression to another, will not remain upon said projection so asto insulate the heat radiations therefrom, but will all drop into the next adjacent supporting depression.

It is a further object of the invention to provide fiexible means for moving layers of material along the supporting depressions of a heating surface as described, so that the material wlll be spread out in thin layers in said depressions, with the rejections of the heating surface extending t ough and above the material at all times, except during momentary transfer of excess material from 4one depression to another, in the event of abnormal piling up of said material in any one depression as previously described.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide for continuously moving the material in a circuitous course over heating surfaces as described, in order to obtain the necessary heating without unduly enlargingthe heating chamber. y

More particularly the invention contemlates the provision of a heating chamber aving a plurality of superimposed corrugated heating plates, with endless iexible conveyors receivedY in said corrugations so as to movematerial along the same with the.

ridges of the corrugated plates normally extending above the layer of material, the parts being so arranged that material received in the corrugations of the uppermost plate,'w ill` be first moved along the same and will then be successively moved in opposite directions along the corrugations of succeedinglower plates, before its'final discharge from the retort.

The. invention will be readily understood from they following description of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig... 1 is a vertical longitudinal section through-a retort constructed in accordance -with the invention.

F ig; 2 is a vertical transverse section through the same. f

The improved .retort consists of the chamber l0,"having the end Walls 11 and 11a. At the 4 respective ends of the chamber are formed downward extension chambers 12 and 12a, which have their bases extended beyond end walls 11 and 11, in spaced relation below the same, so as to terminate in ho ers I13 and 13a beyond said end walls.

oppers 13 and 13a are intake and discharge hoppers respectively, and at the intake end of the retort the chamber 10 is preferably providedat the top with a cupola 14 having a discharge pipe 15. An endless conveyor 16, preferably comprising a plurality of chains running over sprocket wheels 17,'and having hoisting buckets 18, extends vfrom chamber 12 into cupola 14, and is adapted to hoist the oil shale or other material being treated, from hopper 13 to the top of chamber 10.

From the endless conveyor the material passes to members vextending the length of chamber 10 and adapted to support said material while it is being heated in order to drive olf the volatile matter through the pipe 15. These supporting members are arrangedto cause a circuitous passage of the material through the heating chamber, and are shown as plates 19 and 20 in superimposed spaced relation above the bottom 21 of the heating chamber 10, and extending the length and width ofsaid chamber.

The material is adapted to pass back and forth over plates 19, 20, and 21, and it will of course be obvious that the number of the intermediate plates may be varied at will, as it is desired to increase or decrease the heating period.

Plates 19, 20, and 21 are longitudinally corrugated,vpreferably on both faces thereof, and' so as to form relatively shallow ridges and de ressions with the ridges and depressions o the corrugations upon opposite faces in alinement, so that the plates are of uniform thickness, in order that the Surfaces of the ridges and depressions of the corrugations on the upper material supporting faces of the plates will be uniformly heated.

The material to be treated is adapted to be moved in relatively thin layers along the depressions of the corrugations on thepupper supporting faces of the heating plates, with the peaks of the rid es of said corrugations free of said material and projecting above the same, in order that the upper po-rtion of the layer of material will be subjected to direct heat radiations from the eX- posed ridges of the corrugations, while the lower portion of the layer of material is heated by contact with the depressions of the corrugations.

Movement of the material as thus described is preferably accomplished by means of endless flexible conveyors, which in the present instance are shown as link chains running in the respective depressions of the corrugations on the upper supporting faces of the heating plates;

The link chains are of a size to fit in the bases of the depressions of the heating plates, with the peaks of the ridges of said eating plates extending slightly above said chains, so that the layers of material moved by saidchains will be normally spread out over only the bases of said depressions. But the depressions of said corrugations are comparatively shallow so that in the event of excessivev piling up of the material upon the chain in an depression of' the corrugated plates, sai will be moved laterally across the. adjacent ridges of the corrugated plates, until the excess of material has passed the peaks of said ridges, when it will drop by gravity into the next ad'acent depressions, thereby maintaining uni erm layers of material in excess of material the respective depressions of the heating plates, and also keepin the ridges of the corrugations clear of t e material, except during momentary transfer thereof from one depression to'. another.

.The stretches of the endless conveyors cooperating with the respective plates are a apted to move in opposite directions, so that the material Will first move along the upper most plate, and then be dumped onto the succeeding lower plates for movement along the same in opposite directions.

In the form of the invention illustrated, two endless conveyors are employed, one of' which, shown at 22, is received over rotary supports 23, and has the upper stretch of its endless loop cooperating with plate 19, while the lower stretch of the loop, which is moving in the opposite direction, extends along plate 20.

The second conveyor, shown at 24, is carried by rotary supports 25, and is arranged with the upper stretch of its endless loop moving idly beneath plate 20, while the lower stretch of the loop cooperates with plate 21, and moves in the opposite direction to the lower stretch ofv conveyor 22.

Suitable gearing such as shown at 35 may be employed for driving t-he conveyors in opposite directions, and it will be seen that ythe construction as thus described, provides for a circuitous passage of the material through the heating chamber, and the final dumping of the shale from which the volatile matter has been driven oil, into chamber 12n and the discharge hopperl.

An endless conveyor 26 moving over ro tary supports 27, and having buckets 28, extends upwardly from ho per 13, for the removal of the shale or ot er material after its discharge from the retort, and this waste material may be dumped into any suitable trough such as shown at 29.

The heating of chamber 1() may be accomplishedby providing a chamber 30 beneath said retort chamber, and arranging a suitable burner 31 in this lower chamber. The roducts of combustion from the burner may e discharged through a vent 32.

In practice, liquid seals are maintained at the inlet and dischar e ends ot the retort, during operation of ,t e saine, and for this purpose a suitable liquid may be supplied through a ipe 33, to the bottom of cham ber 12 andphopper 13, before starting the apparatus, and Water or other suitable liquid may be supplied to the bottom of chamber 12a and hopper 13.

The construction as thusdescribed provides an extremely ractical means for continuously moving tlie material being treated, through the retort; and the provision of. the superimposed corrugated plates, over which the material passes, al'ords a maximum heating surface,'and means for'subjectlll) of the depressions of the corrugations inA relatively thin layers, with the ridges of said corrugations normally projecting above the material, but permitting of momentary transfer of said material across said ridges, when thereis an excess of material in any one depression, the ridges of the corruga` tions being again clear of material as soon as uniform layers thereof are obtained in the respective depressions. yIt is thus possible to obtain uniform heating throughout the layers of material, since the upper portions'of said layers are not insulated from the heating surfaces by layers of material completely covering the same.

`While I- have illustra-tedl and described but one practical embodiment of the' device, it will be ap arent that various changes ymay bel made in the construction, arrangel ment, and combination of parts Without departing from the spirit of the invention.-

lVhat is claimed is: Rl. A device of the character-[described including a heating plate having a series of parallel longitudinally yextending relatively shallow corrugations, and non-connected transversely spaced conveyor chains received in and adapted to move along the bases of the respective, depressions of said corugations with the peaks of the ridges of said corrugations projecting' slightly above said chains, whereby'relatively thin layers of material willA be *normallyV moved along'thc bases ofsaid depressions on said chains with the peaks-of,y the ridges of said corrugations normally free of and'projecting above said relatively thin layers of material for direct heat radiation from said exposed ridges to the upper portions of said relatively thin layers of material in said depressions, the relativel slight projection of the peaks ofthe ridges of said corrugations above said chains permitting lateral movement across adjacent ridges of any abnormal excess of material piling up-v in any one of said depressions, so as to maintain uniform relatively thin layers of material in saidB depressions, and the movement by gravity of said excess of material from said ridges into the next adjacent depressions maintaining said ridges-free of said material except during 'momentary transfer thereof from one depression to another. L

2. A device' of .the character described including a heating plate having a series of parallel longitudinally extending relatively v shallow corrugations, and means for moving layers of material longitudinally along said corrugations on the bases fof the depressions thereof so .that said 'layers of material are spaced apart by the peaks of the ridges` of said corrugations projecting slightly above `said layers of material, for direct .heat radiation froml said exposed ridges to the upper portions of the layers of material in said depressions. f

3. Ay device vof the character described including a heating plate having a series of parallel longitudinally extending relatively shallow7V corruga'tions,- and flexible conveyors adaptedfor movement along the bases of the depressions vof said corrugations With the peaks ofthe ridges of said corrugatins extending slightly above said conveyors; so that said peaks of the ridges 'of thefcorrugations will be normally free of and project slightly above relatively thin layers of material received in said depressions of the corrugations upon said flexible conveyors, for direct heat radiation from said'exposed ridges to the upper portions o f the layers of material in said depressions.

4:. A device of the character described including superimposed heating plates each having a' series of longitudinally extending relatively shallow corrugations, and endless flexible conveyors forming elongated loops with the upper and lower stretches of said 

